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These stars may not have walked away with the first place prize in the reality competitions they starred in, but that did not stop them from taking celebville by storm.

Take a look at some of our favourite stars who did not need first place to win at life.

1. Lexi van Niekerk

Best known for being a contestant on the third season of Big Brother Mzansi, Lexi garnered loads of attention for her outspoken personality. The star may not have won the competition, but her bae Mandla Hlatshwayo did. That makes her a winner by association, right? Also, Lexi later landed her own show, taking part in Mandla and Lexi.

Not only did Nandi lose out to Minnie Dlamini when she entered the LIVE presenter search in 2010, the star also came in second place in the O-Access search, with Dineo Moeketsi taking first place in that competition. That didn't stop her though, Nandi is now a successful singer, presenter, and owner of her own fashion label.

Another Big Brother contestant, Lerato starred in the second season of the show in 2007. She may have been evicted from the Big Brother house, but this star's big personality made sure she remained relevant long after her appearance on the reality show.

We first got to know Chris when he made it to the top 10 in Top Billings presenter search competition. The hunky star was not chosen as one of the three winners, but still managed to stick around. Chris later became part of the Top Billing team anyway.

This gorgeous singer took her talent across the ocean, auditioning for UK X Factor and making it through to the 'bootcamp' round of the show. That's not where it ended for her though. The star continued to pursue her singing career in SA and in 2014 was one of the celebrity contestants in SABC 3's Strictly Come Dancing.